


Missing

by Armin_05



Series: PJO songfics [5]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, I actually don't know anything canonically about Estelle so she likes The Little Mermaid, I don't have dyslexia so I'm sorry if I didn't write it right, Missing by For King and Country, Pre-Pioneers, Pre-Relationship, Songfic, This is set in the same AU as Pioneers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 11:21:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16428422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Armin_05/pseuds/Armin_05
Summary: /If I could tell you now//I'd say I love you/He'd completely forgotten today was his birthday. Perhaps because he was taking a summer class for the first time, and hadn't had the time to think about turning 19. Especially not with Annabeth not answering his texts.





	Missing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [warriorcat04](https://archiveofourown.org/users/warriorcat04/gifts).



> Hi! Welcome!  
> I know I said this the last two stories in this series, but prompts are welcome. If you have something you'd like me to write in this series, just ask. Though you must have both prompt and song you want to go with it.  
> That being said, if you guys have any songfic prompts to be done from Annabeth's POV, I'd be especially happy.  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!  
> /Singing/

_Calm down. Gotta calm down._

 

Percy's back slid down the dorm wall and he leaned his head in-between his knees. His chest heaved with each gulping breath, and his eyes stung but he furiously kept the tears back. It was fine. Annabeth could take care of herself. She was tough. Percy had once watched her deck a guy and knock him out cold. Percy didn't need to worry and yet here he _was_ and _did I do something did I make her mad?_

 

One day without something was fine. It wasn't often they didn't at least text a quick “Hey I'm good how are you?” chat at the very least, but there were days it happened. She was busy, Percy knew that. Two days, even, was fine. He knew she could get overloaded and forget to do things. Normally it only happened towards exams but there were other times.

 

But _three?_ Three whole days with _nothing?_ No exams to explain it, no “Hey how are you”, no “Sorry something came up”. _Nothing??_ That didn't happen. Had Percy made her mad? He didn't think so. She would have just told him up front.

 

She had to be fine. If she wasn't, her family would have told him. Surely they would have. Right?

 

_Calm down, Percy._

 

Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. Worrying himself into a mental breakdown would not be of any use whatsoever. Annabeth could and would take care of herself. Perhaps she just needed a break from people?

 

But why wouldn't she ha _ve_ _told him-_

 

Hope rose faster than a tidal wave when his notification tone _Under the Sea_ started playing, and Percy nearly ripped his jeans pocket trying to pull his phone out as quick as possible. It fell flat even faster when the screen read “G-Man”. Percy almost tossed his phone on the bed but wrestled the words back into their proper order anyway.

 

_From: G-Man: Hey Percy! Happy birthday!!!_

 

He blinked. He'd completely forgotten today was his birthday. Perhaps because he was taking a summer class for the first time, and hadn't had the time to think about turning 19. Especially not with Annabeth not answering his texts.

 

Nineteen years old...

 

_To: G-Man: Oh, hey Grover! Thanks man_

_From: G-Man: You alright dude?_

_To: G-Man: I'm fine._

_From:G-Man: Oooh a period after a text!_

_From: G-Man: Annabeth still not answering you?_

_To: G-Man: No. I don't know why_

_From: G-Man: Dude, don't worry so much. Remember when she punched out that one dude with one punch? She can take care of herself_

_To: G-Man: Yeah, I know_

 

Percy sighed and gently tossed his phone onto the bed. His roommate's guitar sat in its case on their bed. The guy had been teaching Percy to play, mostly so he could commission him to write songs for the roommate to sing to his crush. Before Annabeth had disappeared he'd been working on one...

 

His legs apparently decided they no longer needed his brain's permission, as they pushed him up and sat him down in his desk chair. Then his hands got in on the disobedience and picked up a pen and sheet of song paper...

 

._.

 

“Can I open my eyes now?” Percy asked flatly as Grover led him farther into the room. Thirty minutes ago his best friend had basically kidnapped him. Forced him to wear a blindfold, even.

 

“Almost, almost, aaannd, now.” He heard Grover clap his hands as he pulled the blindfold over his head. Almost as soon as he opened his eyes people shouted. A party blower blared.

 

“Happy birthday Percy!” They called. Percy blinked in surprise. Everyone was here. His mom, Paul, Estelle, Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, Nico, and Will, even Tyson and his girlfriend Ella. Percy saw every one of his friends, everyone except...

 

Everyone except Annabeth.

 

Percy grinned to hide the hurt. _Where is she?_ “Uh, wow! Wasn't expecting that, thanks, guys.”

 

“Oh, happy birthday Percy,” Sally Jackson hugged him and kissed his cheek. Estelle giggled and raised her arms to be held. When he complied she planted a big, sloppy kiss right where their mom had, gaining Percy's first real smile of the day.

 

“You're old now,” Piper teased. “Nineteen! So adult.”

 

“You're not that much younger than I am,” Percy retorted playfully. “You'll get your turn being old.” He swept his eyes over the room again. A karaoke machine sat in one corner, and a dance floor took up most of the floor. No Annabeth. “...How much did this cost?”

 

“Not as much as you'd expect. We all chipped in,” Grover slapped Percy's back affectionately. Hazel bounced up, Frank right behind her.

 

“Happy birthday, Percy!” She chirped happily.

 

“Happy birthday,” Frank echoed, smiling.

 

“Thanks, guys,” Percy smiled warmly at them both, shifting Estelle so he could side hug them one at a time. “It's good to see you.”

 

He'd have chatted more but they moved off so others could wish him a happy birthday. His favorite genre of music was playing in the background, interspersed with _The Little Mermaid_ for Estelle. Every time one of those songs came on, Estelle demanded to dance with him, and otherwise, Percy chatted with the guests. For thirty minutes, Percy managed to not think of Annabeth's presence or lack thereof.

 

Then someone decided to turn on the karaoke machine, and it seemed everyone agreed that as the birthday boy, Percy should go first. So then he found himself in front of everyone, looking through the choices, desperately missing Annabeth. Her missing presence seemed more noticeable when everyone was standing in front of him.

 

The machine had plenty of choices, but nothing on it called to Percy. Earlier he'd used his roommate's guitar to strum out the song he'd written, and then he'd recorded the tune on his phone. It was the only thing that he actually wanted to sing. After all, why sing something if you don't want to?

 

“Alright, guys. This may be a little weird, but I'm not going to sing anything on here. Instead, I'm gonna sing something I wrote. I apologize if the tune is a little difficult to hear,” Percy said into the microphone while pulling out his phone. A few people nodded in acceptance, others looked intrigued. Percy didn't need the microphone to sing, his voice was more than loud enough for the few people here, so he put his phone up to it and pressed “Start”.

 

The tune started, a little scratchy through the microphone, but pretty good. Percy hadn't quite worked out all the lyrics, and he certainly hadn't memorized them by rote, but the tune reminded him of them.

 

_/I threw your picture in the fire/_

_/I watched you melt away/_

_/You turned to smoke/_

_/You burned my eyes/_

_/But I couldn't escape/_

_/My love for you remains/_

_/So why was I afraid?/_

 

Percy hadn't really considered the words when he wrote them, he'd just been thinking of Annabeth. Yet he knew they were true. He loved Annabeth and had for years. Since they met, really. But he'd always been terrified of telling her.

 

_/When you were next to me/_

_/Why didn't I tell you/_

_/You were so good to me/_

_/Now why didn't I just/_

_/Take back, everything I said to you?/_

/ _Take back, everything I put you through?/_

_/Why didn't I tell you?/_

 

A break in the lyrics. Percy adjusted his grip on the microphone and his phone.

 

/ _They said we never would survive/_

_/And I believed the lies/_

_/And then their words were verified/_

_/When I replaced my heart for your demise/_

_/But you were always on the side/_

 

When they had first met, no one had thought they could be friends. That Punk Percy Jackson and Nerd Girl Annabeth Chase? Nuh-uh, not gonna happen. It was the inclusions of Mediator Grover Underwood that made it work out, and Percy would always be grateful. No matter what they had gone through, through arguments and Percy being sent to another school, Annabeth had always stuck by his side.

 

_/When you were next to me/_

_/Why didn't I tell you/_

_/You were so good to me/_

_/Now why didn't I just/_

_/Take back, everything I said to you?/_

_/And take back/_

_/Everything I put you through?/_

_/Why did I tell you?/_

 

Another break. Percy blinked rapidly. He knew logically that Annabeth would be fine, but the worry had pervaded every part of his life in just three days.

 

Unbeknownst to him, Annabeth slipped in the room during that break. Traffic outside was ridiculous and she'd just run four blocks to make it even slightly on time. Her chest heaved and the present she hid dug into her ribcage. Annabeth pulled it out and sat in on a nearby side table with a grimace.

 

She looked over at the group of people. From where she was, she could just barely see Percy, holding his phone up to a microphone, so he likely couldn't see her. Annabeth noted the karaoke machine, and smiled in amusement, before noticing that Percy looked upset.

 

Then he started singing. Or rather, kept singing, perhaps.

 

_/I love the way you understand/_

_/The way you love/_

_/The way you were when no one was looking/_

_/That you were beautiful and you were worth it all/_

_/You were everything I need/_

_/You captured my attention,/_

_/Did I mention/_

_/I think you're beautiful Darling/_

_/If I could tell you now/_

_/I'd tell you how the world is dark/_

_/Now that you're missing/_

_/Now that you're missing/_

 

The lyrics hit her hard. Again she noted the phone, which seemed to be playing the guitar tune. Had he _written_ that song? He had to have, it couldn't have been on the machine.

 

_/When you were next to me/_

_/Why didn't I tell you?/_

_/You were so good to me/_

_/Now why didn't I just/_

_/Take back, everything I said to you?/_

_/And take back/_

_/Everything I put you through?/_

_/Why didn't I tell you?/_

_/I love the way you understand/_

_/The way you love/_

_/The way you were/_

_/Why didn't I tell you?/_

_/That you were beautiful and you were worth it all/_

_/So why didn't I tell you?/_

 

Annabeth slowly made her way around the group on the right side of the room. Percy's eyes were closed, and she could hear his voice shaking, just a bit.

 

_/You captured my attention,/_

_/Did I mention?/_

_/So why didn't I tell you/_

_/That you were beautiful and you were worth it all/_

_/So why didn't I tell you/_

 

The song slowed, Percy's voice dropped with it. Annabeth had made her way mostly behind him, and the guests had noticed her. Grover caught her eyes, pointed at her, then at Percy, then drew a line from his eye down his cheek with his finger.

 

“ _Percy's crying_.”

 

Had he written this song for _her_? Annabeth mentally winced. She hadn't wanted to ignore his texts and calls, but if she got in a conversation with him she wouldn't have been able to keep what she was doing a secret from him. She had hated it but had been depending on Grover to keep Percy from worrying too much.

 

_/If I could tell you now/_

_/I'd say I love you/_

 

The song ended. Annabeth wrapped her arms around Percy from the back, feeling him stiffen in shock, before relaxing.

 

“Annabeth?” He asked quietly. The guests smiled and moved away to give them some privacy.

 

“Yeah, I'm here.” Annabeth murmured. “I'm sorry I worried you.”

 

Percy turned around to hug her, wiping the tears away with one hand.

 

“It's okay,” he replied softly. “I'm just glad you're here.”

 

Annabeth smiled. “Me too.”

 


End file.
